Former Virginia basketball coach and longtime collegiate sports administrator Terry Holland died Sunday at the age of 80 after battling Alzheimer’s disease, the university announced.
Holland guided the Cavaliers from 1974 to 1990, amassing a 326-173 record during his tenure, which was highlighted by Final Four appearances in 1981 and 1984 and three ACC regular season titles.
Holland played at Davidson in the early 1960s under Lefty Driesell then began his coaching career as an assistant with the Wildcats before becoming the program’s head coach for five seasons. From there, he jumped to the Virginia job and helped pull the program out of perennial doormat status in the ACC.
Prior to Holland’s arrival, the Cavaliers posted a winning record in ACC play just once during their first 21 seasons in the league. But under his direction, UVA finished .500 or better in the ACC during 10 of his 16 seasons. From 1981-83, Virginia finished 37-5 in league action with star center Ralph Sampson patrolling the paint. He was surpassed by Tony Bennett as the school’s all-time wins leader earlier this season.
After the 1989-90 season, Holland left coaching and became an athletic administrator, returning to Davidson as the school’s athletic director until 1994. He then served in the same role at Virginia from 1994 until 2001. His last AD stop came at East Carolina from 2004 until 2013.
Holland was originally from Clinton, North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Ann, and two daughters.
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